A Conversation With Hershey Felder

There is a heavy level of immersion Hershey Felder embraces when he creates his musical stories. An immersion embraced out of equal parts necessity and a fervent desire to bring audiences into not only the music, but the man behind it.

Felder’s latest immersion brings the story and the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff to life in Rachmaninoff and the Tsar, running Feb. 19-March 2 on the Segerstrom Stage. With British-Italian actor Jonathan Silvestri in the role of Tsar Nicholas Romanov II, Felder captures a moment in the celebrated composer’s life where the Russian expat longs for the country he knew as a boy.

Q: What prompted you to create Rachmaninoff and the Tsar?

HERSHEY FELDER: “In my continuous efforts to share stories about artistic creation, I was very moved by Rachmaninoff’s story – the idea of the context of musical creation, and also the loss of home and one’s sense of identity (as happened during the 1917 Revolution) and how one finds one’s self through art. This seemed a worthy story to tell, and the music is so exceptionally beautiful.”

Q: Even though several of his works have found their way into Hollywood or the recordings of everyone from Frank Sinatra to Bob Dylan, Sergei Rachmaninoff isn’t a “name” classical composer a-la Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bach or Gershwin, among others. What made you choose him?

HF: “While the above assessment has been known to be true in the 50’s say, after Rachmaninoff’s passing, I am not certain that it is true anymore. Rachmaninoff has indeed entered the pantheon of greatness and his melodies are instantly recognizable as is the lushness of the compositions themselves. Rachmaninoff features in many piano concerts, competitions, not to mention movies such as Shine, Somewhere in Time, or Brief Encounter.”

Q: Rachmaninoff’s compositions are known for their complexity and the rich melodies that take audiences on a journey of soaring, expansive emotions. Tell us from a pianist’s standpoint what goes into playing them.

HF: “A tremendous amount of hard work, beginning with the acceptance that in fact the music of the greatest quality requires enormous attention to detail. From a technical standpoint, the fingers must do what the brain, heart, ear and good taste tell it to do; there must be an understanding and an ability to execute “color” upon the keyboard; there must be a concentration not just playing notes, but evoking spirit and ideas.”

Q: What is it about Rachmaninoff’s music you find captivating and what made you select the pieces you did? And what is it about Rachmaninoff’s personality—which was as complex as his music—you find both challenging and engaging to portray?

HF: “The pieces are always selected to support the narrative, capturing place and time and storytelling as they do in this work. Characters and the music that come from them is always challenging and requires constant work to make things even remotely possible. Rachmaninoff seemed to be a closed and quiet man, yet full of expression. Creating such a character for the audience requires a great deal of thinking, significant theatrical technique, and the ability to be wry and aloof without being off-putting. A life-long study.”

Q: Where did the idea come from to add Tsar Nicholas Romanov II? Tell us how this particular story came about.

HF: “The story emanated from reports of Rachmaninoff’s final morphine induced days, and the hallucinations he had on his death bed in Beverly Hills in 1943.”

Q: Following up, this is your first play with another actor. Tell us about Jonathan Silvestri and what he brings to this role and this story.

HF: “Jonathan Silvestri is a great guy, an extremely elegant actor and being of European origin, a specialist in creating European noble characters. After working with him on my film Noble Genius about Chopin and Liszt, where he played the painter Eugene Delacroix, this role was a clearly a natural fit.”

Q: You mentioned last year that you enjoyed performing at SCR because “there is a concern for the artist and the audience.” What is it about the theatre and its people that make you feel that way?

HF: “There is an elegant professionalism about SCR. Art and its proper presentation to the public is revered and respected. Hence, the audience is respected as are the artists. Respect plays an enormous role in human interchange. One we simply cannot forget these days, and must amplify. SCR does exactly that.” 

Don’t miss this opportunity to see a uniquely talented musician, composer and storyteller bring one of the greatest pianists in history to life.

Learn more about Rachmaninoff and the Tsar